Battle of Bennington
Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles from Bennington, Vermont, USA
What happened
American militia under General John Stark and Colonel Seth Warner's Green Mountain Boys fought a British force of German soldiers, Loyalists and Native allies under Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum. In the American Revolutionary War, British General Burgoyne sent Baum's force to seize horses and supplies stored at Bennington. Rain delayed the fighting, and then Stark's militia surrounded Baum's position and took many prisoners; Baum was mortally wounded. British reinforcements arrived later in the day but were also forced back.
Why it matters
Why it matters: These losses helped lead to his surrender at Saratoga two months later.
What came next
In October 1777 Burgoyne's army surrendered at Saratoga. The 306-foot Bennington Battle Monument was completed in 1889.
Did you know?
Vermont celebrates 16 August as 'Bennington Battle Day', and a cannon captured in the battle, the Molly Stark Cannon, is fired every year.
Timeline
- 16 August 1777The Americans win at Bennington.
- October 1777Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga.
- 1889The Bennington Battle Monument is completed.
- 1891The monument is dedicated with President Benjamin Harrison present.
- 20 January 1961The battlefield becomes a National Historic Landmark.